How do I make myself become more qualified for a graduate assistantship?

Any kind of teaching experience would be a definite plus. The GPA requirement would vary from one school to another and probably have more weight in getting into the program rather than becoming a TA.

Yeah, I have a great volunteer opportunity teaching kids again for this summer, and I plan to get more. I am hoping that this will increase my eligibility. My gpa isn’t stellar though, only a 3.0, so I was worried that might hold me back :/

You can’t do much about the GPA now, it’s history. The teaching experience is all you can do now. I think it will help you.

See if you can find the actual requirements for becoming a TA and make sure you work on qualifying for it.

It really depends a great deal on what field you are going into in my experience. If you are going inot the sciences, there is a lot of money given for stipends, TAs and RAs. In the Humanities, not as much.

Any opportunities to tutor or teach in your field as well as research experiences will contribute positively to your academic CV and of course your chances of attaining a desirable placement. In many schools and departments, serving as a TA is just one of your requirements for being a grad student there, but obviously it depends on the program.